


Brothers

by Wilusa



Category: Dark Shadows (1991)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-23
Updated: 2011-06-23
Packaged: 2017-10-20 16:13:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/214599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wilusa/pseuds/Wilusa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An early idea I had for adapting the "Quentin's ghost" storyline in the 1991 DS revival.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Brothers

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: _Dark Shadows_ and its canon characters are the property of Dan Curtis Productions; no copyright infringement is intended.

"You're making it up," David said nervously. "I don't believe anyone spoke to you on that old phone."

"I am not making it up!" Amy's pigtails bobbed up and down in her excitement. "Quentin did speak to me! How could I make up a name like that? I never heard it before."

"I know it's a real name. But...you say he's a Collins family ghost, and I never heard of a Quentin Collins. My grandfather's name was Jamison, and his father was Thaddeus -" He stopped abruptly.

"Wait. There was a Quentin! He was my grandfather's brother. Half-brother, maybe. I think Thaddeus may have been married more than once. Quentin was a lot older than my grandfather."

He grinned, remembering. "My dad said Quentin was the black sheep of the family. I guess that's why there aren't any pictures of him. Aunt Elizabeth gave Dad a dirty look for saying even that much against one of her precious ancestors! She wants to pretend they were all saints.

"Anyway, Quentin Collins went to France and never came back."

" _France?_ That's terrible! Families should be close. I'm glad Chris is my full brother, not just a half-brother. He can't go away again, he can't..." Her voice trailed off.

Then she brightened. "Quentin must have come back. He must have died here. How else could his ghost be haunting Collinwood?"

***

"Don't leave, Chris," Carolyn murmured. "Amy needs you..."

Chris Jennings almost laughed, despite the secret fear that gnawed at him. "If you could keep your hands to yourself, I might believe you were thinking about my little sister."

"I won't deny I'm thinking of myself, too." Still playing with his zipper.

Chris sighed. "I wish it had been like this when we were teenagers. You and me, I mean. You were always out of reach. With your own class of people."

"Don't be an idiot. I was never like that. I was carrying a torch for Joe Haskell, that's all."

"Whatever became of him?"

She shifted uneasily. "Disappeared. Some say he...committed suicide, after what happened to Daphne."

Chris shuddered. He'd heard about Daphne. This family had problems enough, without _his_ staying on.

***

"Hello, Carolyn. Jennings." Roger in the doorway, leering at them. Carolyn favored him with a return leer, but Chris started and pulled away from her.

"Mr. Collins. I was just leaving. Carolyn, I really must go!" If Roger was home, it was late. And the moon had been nearly full _last_ night... He practically bolted for the door.

" 'Night, Jennings." Roger smirked.

"Wait! You're not leaving town, are you?"

"No, not yet. Not tonight..."

And he was gone. Carolyn turned to glare at Roger.

"I didn't say a word!" Still smirking.

"You didn't have to. The way you looked at us - this is the last decade of the 20th century, Roger! It's high time a member of the Collins family dated a black person."

(The End)

***

 _ **Author's Afterword:** I'm not sure whether I wrote this before or after I learned the show had been canceled. I certainly hadn't learned how the producers had planned to cast Quentin and his descendants. I thought it would be neat to cast African-Americans. I didn't have anyone in mind for the roles of Amy or Chris, but my choice for Quentin was one of my then-favorite actors, Carl Weathers (from the Rocky films, Street Justice, and the sadly short-lived Fortune Dane)._

 _I later learned the producers had meant to cast the wonderful Adrian Paul, who'd played Jeremiah in the single season that was filmed, as Quentin. He would have been terrific. But if DS hadn't been canceled, he wouldn't have been free to play Duncan MacLeod in Highlander: The Series! I don't believe any other actor could have matched what Adrian did with that role. So much as I loved DS, I can't regret the cancellation._


End file.
